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Here Are 5 of the Best Reasons to Practice Lifelong Learning!
Have you ever made a list of goals that you wanted to accomplish? Maybe some of the goals were fitness or health-related? Many of us enjoy the process of working on our own personal goals, but how many of us think to focus on lifelong learning? By lifelong learning, we mean, training your brain to enjoy learning new things! There are so many benefits to lifelong learning for your overall health and specifically for your brain. Benefits of Lifelong Learning Sharpens your memory – Specifically your working memory (multitasking) and for remembering small details day-to-day Boost your self-confidence – Who doesn't want to feel proud of themselves? Learn new practical skills – Learn how to manage your finances better, computer skills, or even improving your communication skills! Discover new hobbies or talents – You won't know what you're good at unless you try! Become a positive example for your children – Teaching by example works wonders with little ones, especially when they see how fun learning can be. What are some of the best ways to practice lifelong learning? In today's digital age, there are countless opportunities to practice lifelong learning that you can do in the comfort of your own home anytime that's convenient for you. That's why it's recommended you consider taking an online course. Continuing your lifelong learning online can be more cost-effective and convenient, especially if you’re a working professional or busy raising a family. Embracing new knowledge will help keep your brain young and pliable while enriching every experience in your life. To keep your brain sharp, here are our best ways to practice lifelong learning. 5 Ways to Practice Lifelong Learning 1. Use It or Lose It One of the best ways to expand your horizons is to continually engage in new learning. When you stop learning, you start dying. Since your brain is like a muscle – the more you use it, the stronger it gets.¹ When you learn something, new neural connections are created, which improves your capacity to remember. In fact, regardless of your age, mental exercise has an overall positive effect on your brain. On the other hand, when you stop learning, cognitive performance suffers as the internal connections in your brain begin to break apart. 2. Avoid Repetition Even if your routine tasks are fairly complicated, such as teaching a college course or fixing a crashed computer network, they won’t help your brain as much as learning something new. Whenever the brain does something over and over, it learns how to do it using less and less energy. That tells us something about how to exercise the brain. Just doing crossword puzzles or Sudoku isn’t enough to actually enough to strengthen your brain. To get the maximum benefit from a brain training exercise, our brains need to be challenged with new forms of stimulation. Try something you haven’t done before such as doing math in your head, learning a foreign language, or trying new recipes. 3. Online Learning To create a brighter future, learn to master your health, emotions, relationships, and brain with online courses. Founded in 2015, Dr. Amen’s Amen University helps teach people of all ages from all over the world about practical neuroscience. The courses center around the Amen Clinics Method, which has been used to help tens of thousands of patients from 111 countries. Here are just a few of the courses available at Amen University that you can start learning from today! Amen University Courses [wc_box color="inverse" text_align="left" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" class=""] The Brain Warriors Way is a comprehensive online course to help you learn how to have self-mastery in your overall health. Taught by Daniel Amen, MD and Tana Amen, BSN RN to help you learn how to shift your mindset, develop daily habits to protect your brain, healthy nutrition, and establish long-lasting brain health in every aspect of your life. You also get to join the brain warrior tribe with access to a community that is centered around mastering brain healthy goals for life! Brain Thrive by 25 is made for students. Earn 3 transferable undergraduate credits through this scientifically-designed, research-based course designed for teenagers and young adults. Multi-Dimensional Education, Inc. (MDEI), an independent education research group, found that the 12-lesson course significantly decreased drug, alcohol and tobacco use, decreased depression, and improved self-esteem. Change Your Brain Masters course is for anyone interested in taking a deep dive into personal brain improvement. This course teaches you how to implement brain health in your life. Learn basic neuroscience and how the brain works, how to manage others and their brain types, and learn how to utilize the Amen Clinic’s Alzheimer’s Risk Reduction Program. Healing ADD at Home in 30 Days is for anyone who wants to learn more about ADD. Comprehensive, thorough and powerful—this course was designed to teach anyone with ADD, or anyone who has a loved one with ADD, the tools, and strategies to succeed in the classroom, work, relationships and in life. [/wc_box] 4. Give Yourself a Break Many people equate taking breaks with wasting time, but research demonstrates that taking breaks actually improves your focus and efficiency and can help your brain learn new skills.² If you focus on a task for too long, your cognitive control system can start to fail. By switching your attention to something else briefly, you can then return to your original task with renewed focus. 5. Get Learning Support Trouble Focusing? If you’re easily distracted when you study, boost your potential with Attention Support.* Its ingredients were carefully chosen for their clinically proven benefits to concentration, calm, and overall self-control without pharmaceutical side effects.* Mentally Exhausted? If you get tired after a brief period of studying, Focus & Energy can help you power through your coursework.* If you’re looking for a smoother “pick me up,” Focus & Energy naturally supports your body’s energy level with green tea, choline, and ginseng.* And unlike the quick burst and sudden drop in energy you get from go-to daily stimulants (coffee, diet soda, caffeine pills), you’ll experience consistent and clean energy.* Start Your Journey Today Regardless of your age, it's never too late to start learning with Amen University courses, or supporting your attention and energy with BrainMD supplements.* Take the first step in the journey of lifelong learning today! At BrainMD, we’re dedicated to providing the highest quality supplements to improve your physical health and overall well-being. For more information about our full list of brain healthy supplements, please visit us at BrainMD. *These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This content is for informational purposes only. It is not meant to substitute for medical or healthcare advice from a physician, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult your healthcare provider before beginning a new health regimen. References: 1. Kidd, K. (2022, December 29). 6 tips to keep your brain healthy. Mayo Clinic Health System. https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org 2. National Institutes of Health. (2021, June 8). Study shows how taking short breaks may help our brains learn new skills. National Institutes of Health. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/study-shows-how-taking-short-breaks-may-help-our-brains-learn-new-skills
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Short-term vs Long-term Memory: Here Are the Best Ways to Train Your Brain
Memory is one of the most important aspects of life. Memory houses your joys, pains, hopes, and life experiences. It helps you recall important events and can also provide a sense of purpose that gives your life meaning. When your memory is weakened or impaired, it can rob you of your ability to make good decisions and cause you to become disconnected from those you love. Memory problems can limit your success at work, steal your independence, and make you vulnerable to those who seek to take advantage of you. How Memories Are Made Though the biology of memory is complex, the more you know about it, the better you’ll understand how you can improve it. When linked with emotions, your senses – taste, sight, touch, smell, and hearing – are the raw ingredients for making memories. Your brain processes your experiences to form memories, either by consciously focusing on something (like studying) or subconsciously creating associations (like attaching emotional significance to new information, like your first kiss). With each new situation, your brain forms new connections and its wiring can change – an ability known as neuroplasticity. Here are 3 ways memories are made: Encoding – This process occurs when your brain attaches meaning to experiences or determines why something happened. Studies show that we remember things better and retain them longer when we associate them with a purpose. Storage – Research suggests that the brain doesn’t store memories in complete, exact recollections that it can simply retrieve. Rather, memories are stored in small bits scattered in different areas of the brain. The hippocampus is a critical gateway to long-term storage for memories. If the hippocampus is damaged, you may have trouble recalling details and events from the past. Recall – During this stage, your brain reconstructs the memory from smaller stored pieces. When you remember something, it isn’t an exact replay of the experience. It’s more of a creative reimagining, like when someone exaggerates about the time they caught a 10-foot catfish. Memories can change over time. When your brain recalls a memory, it stimulates nerve pathways that were created when the memory was formed. Continuously working your memory strengthens it over time. Forming memories requires an intricate dance between networks of nerve cells and the variety of neurotransmitters they make, especially glutamate and acetylcholine. Studies indicate acetylcholine activity can be lower in older people and such decline may be linked to memory challenges. Types of Memory Now that we’ve seen how memories are made, here are 5 types of memories. Sensory Memory – less than 1 second (most are lost since they aren’t encoded) Short-term Memory – less than 1 minute (such as a phone number) Working Memory – seconds to hours (like cramming for an exam) Long-term Memory – hours to months Long-lasting Memory – months to a lifetime Of course, the most well-known of the 5 types are short-term and long-term memory. Short-term vs Long-term Memory: Effective Ways to Train Your Brain Short-term Memory Also known as active or primary memory, short-term memory relates to what we’re thinking about at a specific moment. Though often used interchangeably, short-term memory is different than working memory. While short-term memory temporarily stores information in memory, working memory manipulates and prioritizes information, some of which can subsequently become long-term memory. It’s estimated that information is kept in short-term memory only for about 30 to 60 seconds. Also, it’s believed that we can store between 4 to 9 items in short-term memory. Short-term memory storage is also prone to interference, especially if you’re in an environment where music or a TV is blaring in the background, or people are speaking within earshot. [wc_box color="inverse" text_align="left" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" class=""] Short-term Memory Tips: It’s possible to hold on to short-term memories a little longer by saying the information (such as a license plate number or phone number) aloud or mentally repeating it. Also, try breaking down the numbers, letters, or words into smaller units or bites, which should help you remember it better, at least in the short-term. [/wc_box] Long-term Memory Most memory experts believe that memories must pass through short-term memory processing before reaching long-term storage. When you retrieve information, by bringing a memory into your conscious mind, you’re accessing long-term information. How quickly or accurately a person recalls the selected information may cause them to believe they have a “good” or “bad” memory. In reality, there may be a number of things that influence how well you retrieve information. Perhaps you didn’t encode it properly in the first place because you were distracted at the time. Or, if you just remembered something that you tried to recall earlier in the day, it might be a sign that there’s a conflict between the encoding and retrieving stages. Though getting older is commonly associated with a negative impact on memory, there are things you can do to slow down brain aging. These include many exercises that can help keep your memory sharp over the long-term. [wc_box color="inverse" text_align="left" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" class=""] Long-term Memory Tips: If you’ve recently forgotten where you left your keys or glasses, one of three things may have occurred: 1. You may not have registered where you put them down, 2. You may not have retained what you registered, and 3. You may not be able to accurately retrieve the memory. To remember where you placed an object, ensure that these three stages of the memory process are working properly. Using certain aids, like mnemonics, are a great way to improve your ability to remember things. For example, when memorizing a list, associate each item with the most humorous or ridiculous image you can think of to help you recall it later. No one sees the image in your mind, so be creative and have fun with it. [/wc_box] If you’re having challenges with your short-term or long-term memory, or if you just want to make sure your memory stays sharp over the long haul, here are some energizing exercises that can help improve your brain… Some of the Best Memory-Boosting Exercises for 5 Regions of Your Brain The best mental exercises involve acquiring new knowledge and doing things you haven’t done before. Even if your routine activities are fairly complicated, such as teaching a college course, reading medical/dental scans, or fixing a crashed computer network, they won’t help your brain as much as learning something new. Whenever the brain does something over and over, it learns how to do it with less and less energy. New learning, such as memorizing zip codes or learning a new game, helps establish new connections, which can help maintain and improve the function of different areas of the brain. The parts of your brain you use will grow and the parts you don’t use may atrophy over time. That’s instructive about how to exercise your brain. Just doing crossword puzzles or sudoku won’t give you the full possible benefits. That’s like going to the gym and leaving after doing right bicep curls. Here are some effective ways to train your brain by each region: Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) Exercises Language games, such as Scrabble (try to memorize as many words in the Scrabble dictionary as possible), Boggle, and Words with Friends Crossword puzzles Strategy games, such as chess and Risk Tetris (which also works the parietal and occipital lobes) can help decrease cravings for drugs (alcohol, nicotine, caffeine), food and drink, and activities (sex, exercise, gaming) after just three minutes Prayer and meditation may improve focus, executive function, judgment, and impulse control, which can result in more thoughtful and moral decisions Weight training and aerobic activity, when combined, these exercises can increase executive function – which encompasses complex thought processes such as reasoning, planning, problem-solving, and multitasking – in people with serious memory issues Temporal Lobe Exercises 3D video games, such as Super Mario 3D World (but not Angry Birds and other 2D games) lead to enhanced hippocampal function, which can strengthen a player’s learning and memory Intensive learning, such as reading medical or law school texts, has been shown to increase hippocampal size after just 14 weeks Memorization of poetry and prose increases hippocampal size Memory and mnemonic training Learning to play new musical instruments strengthens the PFC, parietal lobes, and cerebellum Physical exercise also increases the hippocampus, so learn a new sport as you’re exercising for even greater benefit Parietal Lobe Exercises Math games like sudoku Juggling, which also involves the PFC, temporal lobes (hippocampus), occipital lobes, and cerebellum Golf, 40 hours of training increases gray matter in the parietal and occipital lobes Dance Learning to read and play music Map reading (without GPS assistance) Basal Ganglia Exercises Balancing Synchronizing arm and leg movements Manipulating props like ropes and balls Cerebellum Exercises Coordination games like table tennis (which also involves the PFC), dancing (and learning new dance steps), yoga, and tai chi Basketball Make Memory a Priority Regardless of your age, mental exercise has an overall positive effect on your brain. One of the keys to aging well is to continually engage in new learning. Like a muscle – the more you use your brain, the stronger it gets. Whenever you learn something, new neural connections are created. On the other hand, when you stop learning, your brain starts fading. Cognitive performance can start to suffer when the internal connections in your brain begin to break apart. Research shows that you can significantly improve your brain health in just 15 minutes a day. Try devoting 15 minutes a day to a new hobby or activity like painting or playing a musical instrument. Or, learn a new subject or language. Einstein once said that people who spend 15 minutes a day learning something new will become an expert within a year, so select one of the above exercises and start improving your short- and long-term memory today! At BrainMD, we’re dedicated to providing the highest quality supplements to improve your physical health and overall well-being. For more information about our full list of brain healthy supplements, please visit us at BrainMD. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This content is for informational purposes only. It is not meant to substitute for medical or healthcare advice from a physician, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult your healthcare provider before beginning a new health regimen.
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12 Tips for Distance Learning & How to Help Your Child Thrive at Home
They say home is where the heart is. During this unique moment in history, home is also where many families live, work, and go to school…together. With many of the nation’s schools closed and stay-at-home orders in effect for most states, some parents have stepped up to teach their kids. Many parents will find the adjustment to working from home while helping their students with the school to be disorienting, distracting, and isolating. As with any transition, there are pros and cons. So, what can stressed-out parents do to help their kids thrive while working from home? Here are 12 tips for distance learning and how to create an effective learning environment at home... 12 Tips for Distance Learning & How to Help Your Child Thrive at Home 1. Establish a Daily Schedule Some kids are more active and may resist a structured study time. On the flip side, some kids thrive in a structured environment. To make sure everyone’s on the same page, determine the best work/study flow for everyone in the family and post a daily schedule in the house where everyone can see what activities will be happening at what times. 2. Get Up Early Parents who follow the old “Early Bird” adage, may find that getting up before their kids allows them to ease into the day before being bombarded with requests, questions, activities, and responsibilities. This strategy can help parents settle into their workday with minor tasks, such as responding to emails, during their kids’ study times. Recess/exercise breaks can be an ideal time to work on high-level projects or make business calls. 3. Take a Break Although it sounds counterintuitive as a time management strategy, research demonstrates that taking a break actually improves focus and efficiency. Depending on your child’s attention span, you may do a 30- or 45-minute lesson followed by 15 minutes of free time, especially active playtime. By switching their attention to something else for a brief period, your child can return to their studies with a renewed focus. 4. Get Moving In lieu of PE class or team sports, organize an exercise schedule for the whole family. Getting active together, with a fast-paced walk around the neighborhood or an indoor workout, can help improve mood, decrease stress, and alleviate anxious feelings. Physical activity boosts dopamine and enhances blood flow to the brain, which should help you and your kid(s) think more clearly. 5. Check-in Frequently Many children have difficulties with follow-through. If this describes one of your kids, make sure they know exactly what’s expected of them in each lesson and that assignments are completed on time. Frequently checking in with your child will help them stay on track and ensure that they don’t miss a deadline. 6. Use Positive Reinforcement Kids tend to react better to encouragement than criticism. Rather than pointing out what they’re doing wrong – not finishing an assignment on time, answering a test question incorrectly, or fidgeting – be sure to notice what they’re doing right. Saying things like, “You’re doing a great job” can go a long way toward boosting their confidence. 7. Stay Calm Some children, particularly those with low levels of dopamine, thrive on conflict. They can be masterful at making other people frustrated or angry at them. Never lose your patience with a child, and always look for ways to maintain peace in your home. 8. Streamline Your Lunchtime Get the whole family involved in making lunches the previous evening so you don’t waste valuable time the next day. This will help free up your lunch break to make business calls, set up appointments, pay bills, or spend some quality time with your family. Instead of making lunches one day at a time, you can set up the entire week’s lunches by doing meal prep over the weekend. 9. Get Creative According to a 2016 study, spending 45 minutes making art can significantly lower cortisol (a major stress hormone). Joining your kids can provide a creative release for you and allow you to spend more time with your kids doing something fun. Creative hobbies can offer physical and mental health benefits, so carve out some time in your schedule for them. 10. Limit Screen Time If you need to take an important call or are on a tight deadline to finish a project, you can grant your kids screen time to keep them occupied. Though not a stopgap you should use on a consistent basis, it can be a huge help if you’re in a bind. If you’re concerned about what your kids are viewing, or how much time they’re spending on apps, games, or social media, you can use a program like Apple’s Screen Time to block content and set time limits. 11. Set Up a Snack Station Right after breakfast, set up a table with cups, pitchers of water, and trays of healthy snacks. This will save you from having to constantly run to the kitchen to grab snacks or fill cups for your kids. Also, feeding your kids healthy snacks will help provide them with an increase in energy and focus. 12. Enlist Help If you feel like you’re in over your head, or just need a break to run some errands, consider handing over the reins to a trusted friend or family member. This can be particularly advantageous if your brother-in-law is excellent at math or your mother can teach your kids culinary skills. Don’t feel embarrassed to reach out for help; sharing the load might end up being a win for everyone involved. Following these twelve tips can help you balance your work responsibilities while making sure your kids get the most out of their at-home schooling. If you have a helpful tip that wasn’t mentioned above, please share it in the comment section below. At BrainMD, we’re dedicated to providing the highest purity nutrients to improve your physical health, immunity, and overall well-being. For more information about our full list of brain healthy supplements, please visit us at BrainMD.
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